Article rating
from 0 people

Distribution

Range Description

Cephalopholis formosa is an Indo-West Pacific species distributed from western India to the Philippines, north to southern Japan (Honshu), and south to northern Australia. 'Epinephelus formosus' from Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius are probably based on mis-identifications of Cephalopholis polleni. The species is confused with Cephalopholis boenak.

Article rating
from 0 people

Indo-West Pacific: western India to Philippines, north to southern Japan (Honshu), south to northern Australia. 'Epinephelus formosus' from Madagascar (Ref. 6457), Réunion and Mauritius (Ref. 6458) are probably based on misidentifications of Cephalopholis polleni. Confused with Cephalopholis boenak.

Article rating
from 0 people

Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

Cephalopholis formosa is a reef-associated species that prefers shallow (10 to 30 m) dead or silty reefs. This may account for the primarily continental distributions of this species and C. boenak. Within this range it generally doesn’t occur around oceanic islands and atolls (except the Lakshadweeps).

No detailed biological information is available, but the maximum recorded size is 34 cm TL.

CCTTTATCTAGTCTTCGGTGCCTGGGCCGGTATAGTAGGGACAGCACTTAGCCTGCTAATCCGAGCTGAATTGAGCCAACCAGGTGCTCTACTGGGCGATGATCAAATTTATAATGTTATCGTTACAGCACATGCTTTCGTAATAATTTTCTTTATAGTAATACCAATTATGATTGGTGGTTTCGGAAACTGACTTATTCCACTGATAATTGGTGCCCCCGACATAGCTTTCCCCCGGATAAACAACATGAGCTTTTGACTCCTGCCTCCATCTTTCTTGCTCCTGCTAGCCTCATCTGGGGTAGAAGCAGGTGCGGGTACTGGCTGAACAGTCTACCCTCCCCTAGCCGGTAACCTAGCCCATGCAGGTGCTTCTGTTGATTTAACAATCTTTTCACTGCATTTAGCAGGTATTTCATCAATTCTAGGAGCAATTAACTTTATCACAACCATTATTAACATAAAACCTCCAGCCATCTCCCAGTATCAAACACCCCTATTTGTATGAGCTGTATTAATTACAGCTGTTCTCCTCCTTCTTTCCCTCCCTGTTCTCGCTGCAGGTATTACAATGCTTCTAACTGATCGAAACCTGAACACCACCTTCTTTGACCCAGCTGGTGGAGGAGACCCAATTCTTTACCAGCATCTG-- end --

Cephalopholis formosa is assessed as Least Concern as it is regarded as too small to be targeted in commercial fisheries, and for this reason it is probably of little interest or importance as a marketable food fish. It is, however, probably taken incidentally in local artisinal and subsistence fisheries, and can be caught by hook and line, and in traps and trawls. No specific threats to its populations are known. It tolerates at least moderate habitat disturbance.

This species was recently moved from the Data Deficient list to the Least Concern list for the Northern Territory (NT) (Australia) by the NT Government, on advice from NT Fisheries and the NT Museum, because it was found to be generally common in NT waters.

Article rating
from 0 people

Trends

Population

The population status of Cephalopholis formosa is unknown, but the species is apparently relatively common, for example, in western India (Sluka and Lazarus, unpub.). There are, however, no known separate fisheries statistics.